1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote alarm unit and more particularly to an alarm unit for use with, for example, wood or coal stoves which provides both a visual and audible alarm in response to either a "low" temperature or a "high" temperature dangerous condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Woodburning stoves, although popular in many areas, are sometimes considered more dangerous than other conventional means of heating a home. For example, chimney fires are common in woodburning stoves due to the buildup of creosote in the chimney area. Creosote is a by-product of the actual burning of the wood, where unseasoned lumber is known to quickly create a relatively large creosote buildup.
Another problem with woodburning stoves is that they need to be closely monitored to keep the fire in the desired temperature range. Different types of wood are known to require different drafting conditions where, unless the correct draft condition is maintained, the fire will become cool and eventually go out.
There do exist various alarm units which may be utilized in conjunction with woodburning stoves. These units commonly attach directly to the flue of the stove and sound an audible alarm when the flue temperature is nearing the ignition level for creosote. A problem with this type of alarm is that it must be directly mounted on the flue where the presence of an extreme temperature condition may cause the alarm unit itself to heat up and fail before a warning can be sounded. Additionally, this type of alarm unit is not capable of giving any indication of the present operating temperature of the stove so that drafting conditions may be adjusted well before the flue temperature rises to the flashpoint of the creosote. Further, these alarms do not provide for a "low" temperature alarm condition to warn the owner that the fire in the stove is about to go out.